Stewards from Petah Tikva to face detention hearing: "Remove them permanently"
The three stewards arrested following the violent brawl at the Shlomo Insurance Stadium in Petah Tikva during the Toto Cup match between Hapoel Petah Tikva and Maccabi Netanya will be brought today to a hearing for the extension of their detention.
The three stewards arrested following the violent brawl that occurred on Wednesday at the Shlomo Insurance Stadium in Petah Tikva, during the Toto Cup match between Hapoel Petah Tikva and Maccabi Netanya, will be brought today to a hearing for the extension of their detention.
The difficult footage from the stadium
The unusual incident occurred during halftime, when a confrontation developed in the stands between Hapoel Petah Tikva fans and security personnel. In footage from the scene, stewards and security staff were seen throwing chairs at fans, while some fans attacked the stewards with punches.
During the brawl, one fan suffered a head injury after allegedly being struck with a crowbar and was evacuated to Beilinson Hospital. Another fan was injured after a chair was broken on him. Yasam (special patrol) forces called to the scene climbed to the stands and worked to restore order.
Following the events, three stewards were arrested for questioning. One of them, a resident of East Jerusalem, is suspected of striking the fan in the head with a crowbar. In addition, the stadium's security manager was asked to hand over the credentials of the stewards who were operating at the site.
The letter from the chairman of the Leagues Administration Erez Halfon
In parallel with the police investigation, the chairman of the Football Leagues Administration, Erez Halfon, sent a letter to the head of the Sports Violence Prevention Section of the Israel Police, Superintendent Itzik Amir. Halfon expressed his shock at the serious incident, stating that it harms the safety of fans and public trust in the security system at football fields.
"I demand that the police conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation and bring all those involved to justice. Furthermore, I call for immediate action to revoke the security licenses of the two guards involved and to permanently remove them from football fields, both as security guards and as spectators," Halfon wrote.
Alongside dealing with this specific case, Halfon called for promoting steps to strengthen security at sports events, including recognizing security work at matches as "preferred work" and creating an arrangement that would allow soldiers in regular service to work in match security on weekends.
The police stated that officers identified the brawl and intervened immediately, detaining a number of suspects and restoring order. Hapoel Petah Tikva addressed the events: "We wish a speedy recovery to the team's fan who was evacuated to the hospital and remind everyone that the blood of the fans is not cheap. The incident is being investigated." The match ended in a 0:2 victory for Maccabi Netanya.
